Through the centuries, many devices and methods have been used for locking, or otherwise securing, hinged panels, such as single or double swinging doors, windows, or shutters in a frame, or jamb, to preclude entry into, or egress from, one space from another, to thereby provide security and/or protection from the elements. A number of factors must be taken into consideration in the design of such locking arrangements and their manner of operation.
A primary consideration is that the locking arrangement must, indeed, provide adequate security against forcible entry, when the locking arrangement is deployed. Through the years, it has thus become known to provide locking arrangements having more than one lock-point, in the form of dead-bolts, shoot-bolts, locking tongues, and/or hook-type latches, and the like, for engaging the jamb or frame surrounding the hinged panel, or for engaging an adjacent panel in a French door arrangement. It has also become common practice to include some form of latch mechanism, in the locking arrangement, for holding a door, or doors, in a closed but unlocked state, to provide protection from the elements, or entry of insects, or other vermin, into a space protected by the closed panel.
Another primary consideration, in the design of locking arrangements, is that they be conveniently and intuitively operable. For example, it is desirable that a locking arrangement be operable through manipulation of a minimal number of input elements, such as handles, thumb-turns, or keyed lock cylinders. This is particularly true with regard to locking arrangements having multiple lock-points in single or double-hinged panel arrangements. In a locking arrangement having multiple lock-points, for example, it is desirable that operation of all lock-points can be accomplished through manipulation of one, or at most two, input elements, given the fact that a person operating the locking arrangement has only two hands with which to simultaneously operate various input elements such as handles and thumb-turns. Intuitive operation of a minimum number of input elements can be especially critical in emergency situations, where a person, inside of a space secured by the locking arrangement, may need to quickly exit the space in the dark, or in reduced visibility situations caused by smoke in the case of a fire within the space, for example.
Applications of locking arrangements in double panel installations, such as French doors, require additional design considerations. In such installations, one of the hinged panels is typically a so-called active panel, through which primary ingress and egress takes place, and the other hinged panel is a so-called inactive panel which generally is secured to the jamb or frame surrounding the inactive panel in a manner allowing the inactive panel to be opened only when it is desirable to have a bigger opening than is provided by the active panel alone. In prior double door arrangements, for example, locking arrangements in inactive panels have sometimes included separately operable shoot-bolt-type latches located at the top and/or bottom of the inactive panel which can be individually actuated to engage corresponding holes or anchor points in the door jamb and the floor adjacent the inactive panel. Alternatively, such shoot-bolt-type locking arrangements, in an inactive panel, have been connected to a centrally operable actuation handle of the locking arrangement in the inactive panel.
Where double panel arrangements are utilized, it is desirable to provide some means for precluding improper operation of the locking arrangements in both the inactive and active panels. For example, it is desirable to preclude operation of any lock-points in the locking arrangement of an active panel which engages an inactive panel, without the lock-points of the inactive panel having been previously engaged with the frame. If a dead-bolt in the active panel is engaged with an inactive panel that has not been previously secured to the jamb, force applied to the outside of the panels may be capable of causing the panels to open, possibly with damage to the locking arrangement and/or one or both of the panels, even though it appears that the doors are securely locked. By configuring the locking arrangement such that normal operation of the input elements (such has handles and thumb-turns or key cylinders) in the active panel is inhibited until the inactive panel is securely locked in place, a person operating the door is alerted to the fact that the inactive panel is not properly secured.
It is also desirable that lock-points and latch components of the locking arrangement which extend beyond the edges of the panels in a locked state, be precluded from movement to that extended locked state, prior to the panels being properly positioned in a closed position, within the frame and with respect to one another, in order to preclude inadvertent contact of the latches and/or lock-points with the frame or the panels in a manner that would cause damage to the locking arrangement, the panels, the frame, or trim around the panel opening.
Another consideration, applicable to double-panel applications of locking arrangements, is that the operation of the input elements for controlling the locking arrangement in both the active and inactive panels be such that a person unfamiliar with the locking arrangement will intuitively be able to tell which one of the double panels is the active panel, particularly in an emergency exit situation, when both panels are locked. This is so because, typically, the active panel must be opened before the inactive panel can be opened in most common double-panel installations. Where the input controls on the active and inactive doors have a similar appearance, or feel, a person attempting to escape through the panels in an emergency situation might otherwise waste valuable time in a vain attempt to open the inactive panel rather than the active panel.
Another highly desirable feature would be providing the capability to lock the locking arrangement from outside of the panel or panels without using a key.
Prior locking arrangements and methods have not been entirely satisfactory in meeting the requirements and desired functionality discussed above, or have been found to be inadequate in other respects.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an improved locking arrangement, and method, for operating a locking arrangement in hinged single-panel or multiple-panel installations. It is also desirable that such an improved locking arrangement and method be applicable in embodiments having single, and/or multiple lock-points. It is further desirable that such an improved locking arrangement and method be usable in forms that include a latch arrangement.